India eye historic title in World Test Championship Final 2023 against Australia
ICC CRICKET
Reaching second straight final, India are looking to clinch a historic title in the World Test Championship Final 2023
India, the runner-up of the inaugural edition (2019-21), will clash with Australia in the final at the Oval, London, starting at 3 pm on June 7, 2023
Both teams are heading to the final test match for the championship, also dubbed as ‘Test World Cup’, with injury concerns
India will be without its Test regulars, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, opener KL Rahul and dashing wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant
Australia, on the other side, will miss the services of its experienced speedster Josh Hazlewood
Skipper Rohit Sharma’s Indian team will rely heavily on Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in the top order
Besides Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, one of Jaydev Unadkat, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur will get to join the pace attack
It will be a toss-up between Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin if India opt for a lone spinner
Pat Cummins’ Australia is bolstered by David Warner, Cameron Green and Marnus Labus Labuschagne in batting
The Aussie skipper will be assisted by Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Cameron Green in the pace department
Australia has the edge due to swinging conditions and the use of Duke ball but India are buoyed by recent victories, especially in England
New Zealand bagged the inaugural WTC title and the Golden Mace defeating India in 2021
This time, the winner gets a USD 1.6 million (Rs 13.2 crores) purse while the runner-up will receive USD 800,000 (Rs 6.6 crore)